5 minute read
HORIBA Automotive: Joshua Israel, Market Development Manager
Emissions Regulations Will Drive Electrification
Diesel will continue to play responses provided by Joshua Israel, a key role in the off-highway Market Development equipment industry, but Manager, HORIBA Automotive emissions regulations will be a driver for further electrification.
Diesel, Electric & Other Power Alternatives
How, if at all, do you see the role of diesel engines evolving in the coming years?
Diesel will play a large roll over the next two decades. The current set of regulations and government mandates will compel the industry to electrify where feasible, but diesel will remain vital in applications where electrification is not practical and/or cost effective. Recent forecasts of the CV (commercial vehicle) space predict that over 85% of new vehicles will rely on a traditional powertrain in 2030, and the number may be much higher than that for heavy off-highway equipment.
What alternative fuels do you foresee entering the heavy equipment industry in the next 5-10 years?
CNG (compressed natural gas) fueled engines have been a part of the heavy equipment industry for years due to abundant supply and stable, predictable costs. The next decade may see the advent of hydrogen combustion engines in the heavy equipment sector, as it allows for decarbonization without the range anxiety, recharging, and weight issues typically associated with battery electric solutions.
How will electrification—or other alternative energy/power systems—continue to advance in the heavy equipment industry?
There is a wide range of predictions, but the true indicators that will signal increased adoption of alternative power systems are strict government regulations on greenhouse gases and investment in infrastructure. Without at least one of those pieces in place, it is hard to imagine that electrification will be widespread in the near-to-medium term. |
Head to the Web
Visit www.oemoffhighway.com/21551386 to listen to our podcast interview with Joshua Israel about the potential for new small off-road engine emissions regulations.
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When cost savings create vulnerable supply chains
In ordinary times, businesses, rightly, review operations to identify efficiencies and cost savings in order to remain competitive in a globalized economy. Often this can be achieved through outsourcing supply to faraway territories due to their lower labour cost base – and for many years, across many industries, this model has proven fruitful. However, these are not ordinary times.
Since the start of the global coronavirus pandemic, many businesses across multiple industries have witnessed how vulnerable their supply chains have become as an unintended consequence of this approach. James Dawson, part of the Michelin group, is a brand well established within the supply of hoses into the construction sector, and has been utilizing its reputation for reliability to make major inroads into the agriculture, and mining sectors. Having been around since 1865, the business has seen and survived the turmoil of the Spanish flu and two world wars. As global economies made the first tentative steps out of lockdowns, the consequences of cost driven supply chains became apparent and James Dawson found itself at the heart of what turned out to be recovery efforts.
“It seemed to be a real moment of reassessment for a number of OEMs within the construction sector in particular”, says Bill Cox, Category Leader for Hose at James Dawson. “I think many OEMs have understandably felt they’ve had to drive down costs to stay competitive, without realizing how this was exposing them to vulnerability in their supply chains and, of course, COVID suddenly exposed that in a very immediate and impactful way.”
During the height of the pandemic James Dawson experienced an increase in enquiries from customers based in the western hemisphere who were looking for alternative suppliers urgently. “We had a customer who, under the price pressure they were facing, had moved their hose supply to the APAC region. However, now they were finding that due to additional COVID restrictions and infections impacting the workforce and freight, their hose parts were critically low.” Explains Bill. “This particular customer is an exclusive supplier to one of the major global construction
OEMs and they were telling us they were two weeks away from running out of parts!”
As a result of receiving many similar calls, the James Dawson team set up a dedicated cross-functional Critical Supply Taskforce (CST) to support manufacturers in similar positions. Through daily calls with the internal
team, as well as customers, they were able to make the tools, manufacture the parts and ship them before the customer ran out. “It’s been a very full-on experience, but really rewarding too”, Bill recalls. “At James Dawson, we genuinely do pride ourselves on being able to Advanced deliver for our customers and in a way convoluted its flattering that silicone the OEMs have hoses turned to us in their moment of crisis so we were resolute about doing whatever it takes to come through for them.” Owing to the effectiveness of Specialist the CST over this highly challenging reinforced period for the industry, James Dawson complex organic received the CAT supplier SQEP award hoses for exceptional annual on time performance. Shortly after, both Cummins and Perkin also formally recognized the critical support they had received over the same peak COVID period. “I think we’ve got a pretty solid reputation for the quality of our products, but this period of exceptional challenges has enabled us to show our customers that our dedication to quality and reliability extends beyond our products, through to supply and every aspect of customer care”, concludes Bill. | To find out more about James Dawson’s range of silicone and organic hoses, visit: www.james-dawson.com
